Wanted: memories of Jewish Llandudno

In its heyday, Llandudno was home to multiple Jewish-owned businesses, including Blairman auctioneers, Lazars department store and the Oriental Stores. The latter two were owned by Iraqi-born Joseph Gubay, whose grandson Albert went on to found the Kwik Save discount supermarket chain.

An advert for Lazars (Photo: JHAW)[Missing Credit]

“The commercial life of Llandudno had a massive boost from the influx of Jewish families, starting in Victorian times,” said Laura Henley-Harrison of the Jewish History Association of Wales (JHAW). “Due to the popularity of Llandudno as a holiday destination for people from large cities, the town became a starting point for high-end businesses.”

In 1909, a synagogue opened on Upper Mostyn Street. “It must have had caretakers, suppliers and neighbours as well as congregants,” said Henley-Harrison. “We would be excited to hear of any memories that you have or have been passed down by your families, and of course any artifacts you have in the attic would be real treasures to us.”

Henley-Harrison added: ‘We are looking for anybody who was a member of the Jewish community in Llandudno or Colwyn Bay, also Jewish families who took their holidays in the area. We also want to hear from anyone who still remembers the businesses or individuals – whether you worked with them or were customers back in the day, a neighbour, a friend, an associate.”

The Jewish History Association of Wales recently dropped “South” from the title to extend its work to Llandudno and the rest of the principality.

Professor Nathan Abrams of Bangor University said: “As we’ve expanded our operations, we have realised just how far Jewish life in Wales reached, and it felt appropriate to change the name as we extended our remit. There is a wealth of history here to be discovered.”

If you have memories of Llandudno you would like to share, email: Laura.henley.harrison@jhawales.org.uk